Traffic warning signal



June 15, 1954 N. F. MEARS TRAFFIC WARNING SIGNAL Fig. 4

Filed Dec. 7, 1951 INVENTOR. Nancy F. Mears 2/4, m

HE R ATTORNEYS Patented June 15 1954 UNITED STATES TRAFFIC WARNINGSIGNAL Nancy F. Mears, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application December '7, 1951,Serial No. 260,547

6 Claims.

This application relates to a traffic warning signal, more particularlya signal which will warn of local icing conditions on a road.

Whenever atmospheric temperatures are near the freezin point, dangerousicing conditions frequently occur on roads, in that ice forms alongcertain stretches of a wet road but not on other stretches of the sameroad, with the result that a motorist is driving along a wet, but notslippery, road, and then suddenly finds himself on an icy road. This isparticularly likely to happen at night when the car lights reflect iceand water in the same manner. I have invented an extremely simple but,nevertheless, effective device which will advise motorists of localconditions along a road. The device is sensitive to the specificconditions at the place where it is positioned and, if a series of thesedevices is placed along a road, a motorist is warned of icing conditionss he drives along.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated a present preferredembodiment of my invention, in which Figure l is a front elevation viewof my device with the signal forming part of the device in one operativeposition;

Figure 2 is a similar view with the signal in another operativeposition;

Figure 3 is a similar view of a modification of my invention;

Figure 4 is a section alon the lines IV-IV of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a view of a portion of the device shown in Figure 4 on anenlarged scale.

My device comprises a base 6 and two signals I and 8 which move acrossthe base in accordance with variations in temperature, as will behereinafter described. A shield 9 comprising two curved portions 9A and9B secured to the edges of the base 6 but spaced forwardly therefromextends across the base and generally follows the are formed by the twosignals I and 8 as they move across the base. A rod 90 reinforces theshield at its center. As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, each of theportions 9A and 9B have sufficient width to cover one of the signals andeach is curved to cover one of the signals through half of its movementacross the base. Thus the portion 9A of the shield covers signal 8during the first half of the movement of the signals and the portion 9Bof the shield covers the signal I during the second half of the movementof the two signals. Depending upon the position of the signals,therefore, the signal I or the signal 8 can be seen from the front of mywarning device.

The signals 1 and 8 are preferably colored light reflectors, onereflector showing green when the headlights from an automobile strikeit, and the other reflector showing red. Alternatively, the signals maybe suitably colored electric lights, as shown in Figure 3, in which casemy warnin signal carries a source of electric current such, for example,as the battery I!) with wires H to the two electric lights 12 and IS.

The two signals 1 and 8 are swung in arcs across the base 5 by amechanism which is responsive to changes in the ambient temperature.Thus they are both mounted on a rod l4 which is pivotally mounted at oneend of a shaft 15 which extends through the base 6. The base s carrieson its rear side a conventional coiled bimetallic strip [6, one end ofwhich is secured to the shaft it. A bracket ll, also mounted on the rearside of the base 5, secures the other end of the bimetallic coil. As iswell known, changes in temperature will cause a coil of bimetallic stripto wind or unwind. In the present case, since one end of the bimetalliccoil is fastened to the base and the other end is fastened to the shaftl5, changes in temperature will cause the coil It to wind and unwind andthereby swin the rod M (and the signals 1 and 8) across the face of thebase *6. The coil is adjusted and secured to the shaft l5 so that whenthe ambient temperature is above freezing, the rod M will be somewhereon the righthand side of the base 6, as shown in Figure 1. Also, as isshown in Figure 1, the signal I, which is preferably a green reflectingmirror or a green light, is then exposed and the signal 8 (preferably ared signal) is covered by the portion 9A of the shield 9. When theambient temperature approaches the freezing point, the bimetallic coiledstrip rotates the rod It to the left until it is in the position shownin Figure 2. As appears in Figure 2, the signal -8 (preferably a redsignal) is exposed to view and the signal 1 (preferably a green signal)is covered by the portion 915 of the shield 9.

Figure 4 shows an arrangement whereby my device can be positioned besidea road. A sleeve l8 secured to the base 6 forms a pocket into which apost H) can be inserted and held in place by screws 20. Ihe post can be,of course, driven into the ground along the side of the road or whereverthe signal is to be placed.

If my warnin device is placed on the side of the road, it will besensitive to temperature conditions in its immediate vicinity and, if itis placed so that the signals 1 and 8 will reflect light from theheadlights of passing cars and so that it can be seen by the drivers ofthe cars, it will warn the drivers of icing conditions in its immediatevicinity. If the ambient temperatures are above freezing, the greensignal 7 will show. If, however, freezing temperatures are prevailing,then the red signal 3 will show. My device is extremely simple andinexpensive and, therefore, a large number of these devices can beplaced alon a road to advise and warn motorists as to the varyingconditions along the road.

While I have described certain present preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that it may otherwise be embodiedwithin the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A traffic warning signal to indicate icing conditions on roadscomprising a base, a rod pivoted at one end on the base, a bimetallicstrip carried by the base and operatively connected to the rod wherebyvariations in ambient temperature will cause the rod to turn about itspivot, a color signal visible in day and at night on the rod away fromits pivot point, and an opaque shield for the signal covering a portiononl of the arc described by the signal when the rod pivots whereby thesignal will come into view when the ambient temperature reaches a valueat which icing occurs.

2. A trafiic warning signal to indicate icing conditions on roadscomprising a base, a rod pivoted at one end on the base, a bimetallicstrip carried by the base and operatively connected to the rod wherebyvariations in ambient temperature will cause the rod to turn about itspivot, two color signals visible in day and at night secured to andspaced along the rod away from its pivot point, and an opaque shieldcovering the signals from view through a portion only of the arcs whicheach travels upon motion of the rod, said shield covering one signalthrough the first portion of the movement of the rod, and covering theother signal during the latter p rtion of the movement of the rodwhereby a change of signals will occur when the ambient temperaturereaches a value at which icing occurs.

3. A traffic warning signal to indicate icing conditions on roadscomprising a base, a rod pivoted at one end on the base, a bimetallicstrip carried by the base and operatively connected to the rod wherebyvariations in ambient temperature will cause the rod to turn about itspivot, two color signals visible in day and at night secured to andspaced along the rod away from its pivot point, and an opaque shieldcovering the signals from view through a portion only of the arcs whicheach travels upon motion of the rod, said shield having two curvedportions extending from opposite ends of the arcs described by thesignals to the center of said arcs, said portions each having sufdcientwidth to cover one of the signals, one curved portion being spaced fromthe pivot point of the rod to cover one signal during the first half ofthe movement of the signals across the base and expose the secondsignal, the other curved portion being spaced from the pivot point ofthe rod to expose the first signal during the second half of the signalmovement and cover the second signal whereby a change of signals willoccur when the ambient temperature reaches a value at which icingoccurs.

4. A traffic warning signal to indicate icing conditions on roadscomprising a base, a rod pivoted at one end on the base, a bimetallicstrip carried by the base and operatively connected to the rod wherebyvariations in ambient temperature will cause the rod to turn about itspivot, a light reflector on the rod away from its pivot point, and anopaque shield for the reflector covering a portion only of the aredescribed by the reflector when the rod pivots whereby the reflectorwill come into View when the ambient temperature reaches a, value atwhich icing occurs.

5. A trafiic warning signal to indicate icing conditions on roadscomprising a base, a rod pivoted at one end on the base, a bimetallicstrip carried by the base and operatively connected to the rod wherebyvariations in ambient temperature will cause the rod to turn about itspivot, a light source on the rod away from its pivot point, and anopaque shield for the light source covering a portion only of the aredescribed by the light source when the rod pivots whereby the lightsource will come into view when the ambient temperature reaches a valueat which icing occurs.

6. A traihc warning signal to indicate icing conditions on roadscomprising a base, a rod pivoted at one end on the base, a bimetallicstrip carried by the base and operatively connected to the rod wherebyvariations in ambient temperature will cause the rod to turn about itspivot, a color signal on the rod away from its pivot point, an opaqueshield for the signal visible in day and at night covering a portiononly of the are described by the signal when the rod pivots whereby thesignal will come into View when the ambient temperature reaches a valueat which icing occurs, and a support for said base whereby the warningsignal can b placed at the side of a road in position to be viewed fromvehicles passing on the road.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 884,973 Ayers Apr. 14, 1908 1,144,009 Swanson June 22, 19151,403,432 McGilvray et a1. Jan. 10, 1922 1,563,279 Hartley Nov. 24, 19251,886,986 Ruths Nov. 8, 1932 1,903,482 'Senseney Apr. 11, 1933 2,115,271La Londe Apr. 26, 1938 2,597,939 Lamb May 27, 1952

